Sacramento Launches Open Data Portal

Joining the national push for open data, the city of Sacramento has launched an open data portal that provides access to building permit activity, crime reports, budget information, land-use data and more.

“This new Web site provides digital access to city hall in a way that has never been done before. It is our continued goal to be transparent and this is a great starting point for us,” City Manager John Shirey said. Sacramento officials described the site as a “one-stop shop” for city data and reports. The site offers more than 40 data sets, including detailed information on 311 service requests, finance and budget statistics, police department data, citywide contracts, and building permit numbers, according to the city. Users can view the data via charts, through an online dashboard, or in sortable spreadsheets. The city also intends for the portal to support civic IT projects and third-party civic app developers. “It is important to support and encourage innovation by providing access to information and encouraging residents and businesses to find ways of using public data. We are willing to add other data the community requests,” Sacramento chief information officer Maria MacGunigal said.